Tulane safety Devon Walker has been named to the Burlsworth Trophy watch list, an award given annually to the most outstanding walk-on football player, NOLA.com first reported.

Walker suffered a cervical spine fracture in a game in September.

It was a devastating end for a player who worked his way onto the Tulane field. Walker walked on at Tulane in 2009 and played in nine games, including one as a starter.

The next year, he played in 12 games and last year, he received a scholarship.

The award is named for former Arkansas walk-on Brandon Burlsworth. He was a three-year starter and All-American for the Razorbacks in 1998, but did in a car accident just 11 days after he was taken in the 1999 NFL draft.